1. Field of the Invention
The present invention for a rod holder device comprises receiver head means attached to a fishing rod and including receiver means formed in said receiver head means to retain one end of a rod section therein. In the preferred construction the receiver head means is movably attached to the handle of the fishing rod and may be placed in either a closed or opened position. In the opened position the receiver means is disposed to accept and retain one end of a rod section therein. In the closed position the rod holder device defines a continuous segment of the fishing rod handle and does not interfere with normal operation and use of the fishing rod.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As any fisherman knows, many fishing rods, and particularly fly rods and spinning rods, are formed from plural rod sections. There are normally two or three such sections with one defining the main body including the handle and the other section or sections being matingly engageable with corresponding male and female end portions to provide assembly and use of the complete rod. The necessity of means for storing and transporting such rods in their taken apart condition has been recognized, and a variety of solutions to this need are known. For example, carrying cases including distinct receptacles for each section of a fishing rod are well known. Similarly, rod bags having a plurality of pockets formed therein are also commonly used for the storage of plural section fishing rods. However, neither these cases nor bags conveniently provide for transportation of the rods in their taken apart condition in the field, but are primarily intended for storage purposes.
In recognition of the need for means of transporting the rod in its taken apart condition short of leaving the rod in its storage container, devices have been created for clipping demountable rod sections to the rod main body. One of the earliest such prior art devices is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 396,909 to Annin and basically comprises a groove formed in the rod handle for receiving a portion of the rod section therein, and a clip device secured to the rod main body for engaging a forward portion of the rod section. Similar clamping devices are taught in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 3,169,290 to Snodgrass; 3,113,363 to Fyvie; and 3,832,796 to Cardwell. Finally U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,799 to Oakes discloses a removable socket-type apparatus attachable to the butt end of a fishing rod and including means for retaining a rod section thereadjacent. While each of these prior art devices is clearly useful for its intended purpose, each of these devices is just as clearly of a removable, add-on construction. In order to use the fishing rods in their assembled condition, it is necessary to remove at least a portion of the section-retaining mechanism so as to allow unhindered use of the fishing rod. The very fact that these prior art devices are removable further detracts from their efficacy, for once a device is removed from primary equipment it is often forgotten or misplaced.
It is therefore clear that there is a great need in the art for a rod holder device for retaining secondary sections of a plural section fishing rod wherein the device is integrally formed or mounted onto the rod's main body in substantially permanent fashion. It is furthermore desirable that such a device be selectively movable between closed and opened positions so as to not to interfere with the normal use of the rod when all its sections are assembled. Because of the adverse conditions under which fishing rods are often utilized, any such device must be of strong construction and relatively impervious to the effects of both fresh and salt water. Yet, as with virtually all articles of manufacture, the device should be capable of relatively inexpensive manufacture and must be easy to install and operate.